European Council President Herman Van Rompuy called on Bosnia and Herzegovina to “strive for progress” in its efforts to achieve EU integration, on meeting with President Bakir Izetbegovic in Sarajevo on Sunday.
Drawing comparisons with Balkan neighbours and fellow aspiring EU member states Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, he called on the administration to make “credible” efforts to build a “democratic future for the country”.
His visit to the Bosnian capital followed a ruling by the EU in June on an ongoing case in European courts regarding the outstanding clause in the country’s constitution barring Jews and Roma from standing for high office.
In 2008, the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruled the Balkan state was violating European conventions prohibiting religious discrimination and safeguarding the right to free elections.
The contested clause refers to two categories of Bosnian citizens – Bosniaks (Muslims), Croats and Serbs; and “other”, comprising Jews, Roma and other minorities.
The European ruling came in response to a 2006 lawsuit filed by Bosnians Dervo Sejdic, of Roma origin, and Jewish Jakob Finci, both of whom discrimination and breach of human rights by the administration.
Last week, in a joint statement Commissioner for EU Enlargement Stefan Fule and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland expressed “great disappointment” that Bosnia had not met the EU-set deadline of August 31 for submitting plans to its parliament for constitutional reform, a key requirement for future European integration for the country. The amendment was then to have been implemented into law by November.
Calling on Bosnian leaders to “fulfil the country’s commitments to the Council of Europe and move the EU integration forward”, they expressed their “regret that it appears that these issue are given a lower priority by Bosnian and Herzegovina’s leaders than political rivialries”, concluding that their “citizens deserve better”.
Their comments came as Liaison Officer for the Council of Europe Andrew Cutting addressed a conference on anti-Semitism in Brussels, insisting that Bosnia would not be accepted as an EU member state, until it complied with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
“Increased vigilance is needed to learn from the past and to ensure tolerance remains a vital part of European values,” he added.
In July, the Irish presidency of the Organisation for Security in Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a statement condemning Bosnian reticence in complying with the Strasbourg ruling and insisting “there is no excuse to discriminate against anyone, especially minorities”. Invoking Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war, Irish European Affairs Minister Lucinda Creighton added “this is especially important in a post-conflict society”.

EJP